


By the Sea

by fleeting_fantasy



Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: Beaches, Cute, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Kissing, Magicians, Male Pronouns for Asra (The Arcana), Ocean, Original Female Character(s) - Freeform, Playful Faust, Sneaking Around, Sneaking Out, Teasing, Vacation, commission, hints of jealousy, playful banter, post-route
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-26
Updated: 2020-03-26
Packaged: 2021-03-01 05:40:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23319997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fleeting_fantasy/pseuds/fleeting_fantasy
Summary: Finally taking Nadia up on her offer to visit Praka for a while, Jenna and Asra find themselves unable to stay put in the castle and choose to go have some good-natured fun instead, as magicians do.for @ourloveisgone/@asrasdarling!!
Relationships: Apprentice/Asra (The Arcana), Asra (The Arcana)/Original Character(s), Asra (The Arcana)/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 22





	By the Sea

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ourloveisgone](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ourloveisgone/gifts).



> I just want to say that I'm so eternally grateful to them for their patience and for even asking me to write in the first place, and that I had a lot of fun writing this. I hope you enjoy it!!

_ Friend. _

A familiar incessant voice rang in the head of a young magician who was soundly asleep, urging her to open her eyes. The command was hardly even a ripple in the intricate stream of consciousness that the magician’s dream was, and faded as quickly as it came. The dream was too pleasant to give up. 

_ Awake! _

The normally gentle voice was louder, almost forceful. The magician’s face scrunched up with displeasure and she shifted, burying her face in the soft cotton of a scarf and inhaling the lingering scent of pumpernickel and other spices that warmed her body and soothed her senses. A groan tickled the back of her throat and she tried desperately to relax and fall back into her wonderful dream. 

_ Up!! _

This time, in addition to the forceful and frustrated voice, she felt a long, smooth creature wrap around her arm, climbing up and squeezing tightly before a slimy sensation intruded her ear, forcing the magician awake with a yelp. 

“Faust,” she groaned, rubbing her ear and shuddering, trying to wipe away the lingering feeling from memory while the snake merely flicked her tongue out, an almost smug look cast on her adorable lilac face as she slung herself around her master’s shoulders, comfortable and clearly not sorry for waking the magician up so rudely. “Was that really necessary?” 

From behind, a melodic laughter erupted that made her freeze up, intimate nimble fingers finding their way to her hips like magnets that quickly pulled her back into his chest. “Don’t blame her too much, Jenna. She’s been waiting patiently for an hour now.” Asra’s lips brushed against the shell of her ear before burying his face in her curly brown hair. “Though you did look so peaceful sleeping on my shoulder, I’m surprised you managed to stay asleep in a carriage like this.” 

Jenna snorted at Asra’s comment, one hand stroking the mischievous Faust’s head while the other rested over the warm hand on her waist. “Well, I would’ve been fine if  _ someone  _ hadn’t worn me out last night.” 

A guilty yet cheeky expression spread over Asra’s face, accentuated by the light dusting of color on his cheeks that always made Jenna weak in the knees. “Sorry, sorry,” he laughed it off and placed a feathery kiss on the nape of her neck. “But you know, we’re practically here.” 

“Really?”

“Why don’t you take a look for yourself?” 

Jenna stared back at Asra’s amused fox-like expression for a moment before giving in, crawling over him and reaching out towards the curtain-covered window, pulling the satin sheet back and finding herself encompassed by sheer awe at the sight of a gorgeous seafront kingdom. “Wow… so this is Prakra?” She couldn’t tear her eyes away from the way the crystalline ocean glistened and reflected the warm tones of the sunset, reminding her vaguely of Asra’s oasis. 

It took Asra and Nadia ages of convincing to eventually coerce Jenna into visiting Prakra for a few weeks, between the fact that they only recently returned to their home— their shop, but especially with the addition of the flamboyant specialties that Nadia provided for the couple in terms of both travel and arranging their stay in her family’s palace. The Countess waived it off as her way of repaying them for their bravery in saving Vesuvia—and the universe—from her resurrected husband and the nefarious Devil. But eventually Jenna caved and accepted Nadia’s offer, and she was very glad she did, even if it was just for this sight alone. 

Jenna paused for a moment, her expression shifting to that of discomfort as another thought appeared in her head. 

“What’s wrong?” 

“...Nadia’s family is huge… and we have to introduce ourselves and play the nice guests,” she mumbled, retreating back to Asra’s side. “I’m not looking forward to it.” 

He offered her a cunning smile and leaned in, bumping his nose against her warm cheek. “I’ll get us out of it, as usual.” 

“My savior,” Jenna exhaled in relief, her tone playful but her words serious. She’d much rather be left to her own devices with Asra and Faust than be stuck in the castle, as nice as Nadia’s family is sure to be. 

Asra took her hand in his and gave it one last squeeze before the carriage door opened, revealing a large family of seven, with only Nazali and Nadia missing. A friendly servant held out their hand for Asra to take, while Asra helped Jenna out of the carriage immediately afterwards. 

An aged woman garbed in white stepped forward, a proud smile adorning her strong features as her marigold eyes took in the sight of the magicians who saved her daughter. “Welcome to Prakra,” she announced, her voice commanding attention and obedience. 

_ So this is the queen of Prakra… she does remind me of Nadia. _ Jenna thought, stepping slightly closer to Asra and squeezing his hand as her gaze flickered to the daughters who stood behind their mother, eagerly waiting for a chance to greet them, only letting her shoulders relax when he rubbed his thumb over the back of hers. 

“I’m sure you’re exhausted after the journey from Vesuvia. It is quite the long ways away,” Queen Nasrin continued, warming up to the two very quickly. “I don’t intend on boring you with trivialities tonight; there will be plenty of time for that. I only ask that you accompany us for breakfast tomorrow morning.” 

Asra took the lead, a charming smile on his lips as he greeted the royal couple, his hand never leaving hers. “It’s an honor to be here; thank you for having us.” 

“It is our pleasure,” she spoke with much kindness. Her eyes eventually settled on Jenna, perhaps waiting for her to speak, but her demeanor did not betray her thoughts. Instead, the queen chuckled and gestured for the couple to come inside. “Your room is already prepared. I’m sure you two would like to stay together,” her eyes cast down knowingly on the small matching bands on the fingers of both magicians. 

“We would, thank you.” Asra bowed his head a bit out of respect, which the queen waved off, laughing. “We’ll take you up on your offer and rest up.” 

“Thank you for your hospitality,” Jenna finally muttered, offering a smile to the woman and her family. She didn’t say anything else, deciding it would be best to hold back her sharp tongue and just get some privacy as quickly as possible.

The royal consort and Nadia’s father, Namar, called out to Asra and Jenna as they walked rather quickly into the palace, following a servant to their room. “If you would, be sure to bring a trick or two with you to breakfast tomorrow!” 

Asra shot back a smirk at that man, nodding as she tugged him along. “Of course! It’s what we do best!”

Jenna sighed as she hit the bed, letting her arms come up over her head as she stared at the ceiling, unsurprised to see it was as perfectly decorated as everything else in the room. She felt the bed dip as Asra sat beside her, laying down and contently looking up at the same ceiling she did. 

“The mural is nice, but it’s not nearly as gorgeous as the stars…”

“Not even close,” she agreed, shutting her eyes and letting silence fall over them like a weighted blanket. It wasn’t awkward by any means, but not exactly comfortable either. They were both too antsy for their own good, as wandering magicians being cramped in an overly-extravagant carriage wasn’t nearly as nice as the day’s journey to get to where they wished to go with mishaps and adventures along the way. 

“Hey—” Asra began after a few minutes of silence, Faust’s head coming out to take a peek into the room. “—why don’t we have some fun instead?” 

_ “Ohh?”  _ Jenna rolled onto her side, giving Asra a sultry look in response to his vague question. “Some fun, huh?” Asra seemed to realize his mistake, and attempted to speak, but was cut off by the teasing magician who was well aware he meant something else. She hoisted herself on top of Asra, straddling his hips and putting her hands on either side of his face, letting her long curly hair tickle his skin. “If you insist~ but don’t blame me if I want to play a few games, and you know how I like to win.” 

Asra huffed and rested his hands on her hips, using a sudden surge of momentum to flip their positions on the bed, his face coming dangerously close to hers as that same mischievous smirk rose to the surface. “Is that a challenge?” Asra licked his lips, playing along until he finally kissed Jenna, cupping her cheek and grinning unapologetically. He kissed her until he felt his lungs begin to burn, finally pulling away and standing up, offering his hand to her. “We should go out into town. I hear there’s a nice secluded beach…”

Jenna laughed softly, her cheeks warm from Asra’s assail of kisses. “Anything to stretch my legs, and a private beach sounds like just what we need.” 

“Then it’s a plan,” Asra grabbed his satchel and slung it over his shoulder, making sure he had everything he thought he would need in there before sitting on the railing, ready to jump onto the roof of the castle. It was nearing sunset, so there were more guards patrolling, and they were sure getting caught by one of them wouldn’t end nicely. “Follow me.” 

Jenna trailed behind him silently, pushing up the frames of her glasses with her shoulder as her eyes darted around to make sure no one would bother them. “Do you even know where you’re going?” 

“When do I ever?” came Asra’s curt but lighthearted retort, and he turned his head to flash her a grin. “Come on, I can see the lights for the to—” 

“You! Stop!” Came a guard’s loud, almost panicked voice. It seems like they didn’t expect to find two magicians running on the rooftop of the castle, aiming for the town. Jenna was sure they looked suspicious and would likely get into trouble, yet she began to laugh with glee, finding the thrill of danger to be exciting. “Come back here!  _ Thief! _ ” 

“It’s just like when you accidentally got involved in that heist!” 

“Don’t remind me!” 

Jenna could’ve sworn she saw Asra’s ears grow red as he suddenly grabbed her wrist, tugging her along a little faster as the guard’s whistles grew louder with each passing step. 

Slipping into alleyways and racing through streets until Asra felt they were finally out of sight and range of the angry guards, he finally stopped, letting go of her hand and holding his head, laughing his heart out. “Well, that was a workout!” 

Jenna snorted, catching her breath and regaining her bearings. “Got any other bright ideas?” She asked in a slightly mocking voice, but Asra knew she was playing around. 

“Well, we could find a fortune teller.” 

“I’ll pass, I want our future to be a pleasant surprise. I’m happy no matter what, as long as you’re in it.” 

Asra’s cheeks burned at her bold statement, but he brushed it off with a chuckle. “In that case, why don’t we check out some shops?” 

“You just want to eat some strange foods, don’t you?” 

“You know me too well, my love.” 

Jenna rolled her eyes and hooked her arm with his, unable to stop her smile. “Then I guess we should get started, I saw a lot of food in the market we passed by.” 

The town was bustling with life, people of all parts of life conglomerating and mingling, sharing laughs and drinks, simply enjoying the nightlife the castle town provided. Jenna felt somewhat uncomfortable with how many people there were, though it wasn’t too different from Vesuvia. She squeezed Asra’s hand and pointed out a small stand where they sold a fish she’s never seen before. “Look, why don’t we try that out?” 

Asra smiled right back at her, gently bumping his hip to hers. “ _ Perfect _ .”

With their arms heavy with food and other interesting items, both magical and otherwise, and their pockets of coins a little emptier (though not by too much, thanks to Asra’s wonderful bargaining abilities), they set off where their heart tugged. 

Asra licked his lips, picking up any salt that stuck to his mouth as he continued to taste test samples of interesting and new foods, anything that someone would’ve normally shied away from. “Mmm,” he hummed in delight, looking at Jenna from the corner of his eyes with a mischievous smile as they strayed further and further from the lights of the city. “Are you sure you don’t want any?” 

“No thanks,” she replied with a snort, playfully gagging as he offered her something that was far too similar to a tongue. “I’ll pass.”

“More for me.” 

A calm silence fell between the two of them as they walked along the stone path, the sound of the ocean’s waves getting louder with each passing step. It gave her some time to reflect on their experience in the bustling town, between sneaking past guards that attempted to find them to Asra showing off his proficiency with swords, as if he were part of a circus.

As entertaining as it was, Jenna was just glad no one seemed to make any advances towards the mysterious magician in the midst of their misadventures, but now that they were alone again, she relaxed and didn’t let the thought bother her. It was their time alone, their special vacation. 

The girl soon spoke up, a smile forming on her face, since she knew Asra would react pleasantly. “You know, I can’t believe you managed to find  _ another  _ wanted poster of Julian. It’s like you have a sixth sense for it. We better start a collection of them, honestly.” 

Asra’s expression brightened and he began to laugh heartedly. He shifted some of the bags on his arms and stopped for a moment, digging out the folded paper he oh-so-sneakily snatched. “Ilya would hate this one; they got his nose all wrong. I want to frame it; I think it’ll be an excellent addition to our little shop.”

“I think it might look better in Nadia’s castle. I’m sure Portia would take it if you offered it to her, though not without scolding Julian first.” She quipped back as they both looked over at the slightly aged paper, worn from the weather, with the one and only Julian Devorak front and center, with the faded word  _ Wanted  _ below it.

The magician seemed to get a twinkle of an idea, shining as bright as the sun in his lilac eyes. Faust slithered out of his clothes, peeking her curious eyes at the print in his hands.  _ Squeeze _ ? she tilted her head, flicking her tongue out at the picture of Julian, clearly recognizing him. 

“No, this one isn’t real. I promise you’ll get to squeeze Ilya as much as you want when we get back to Vesuvia.” Asra chuckled, folding the poster back up and stuffing it in his bag before Faust could attempt to squeeze the paper anyways. 

Jenna glanced up towards the bright moon, staring at it as she walked forward, mesmerized by the stars around it and the unique mesh of colors in the night sky that she’s never seen before. She found herself entranced by the sight that she didn’t even notice that she was going to trip, at least until Asra pulled her back with an arm wrapped around her waist. 

“Be careful,” he chided, pressing a kiss to her temple. “Let’s hurry up and get to the beach, that way you don’t have to worry about falling.” 

Jenna blinked a few times, processing what happened before giggling. “Thank you, my dear prince charming,” she praised, turning her head and kissing his cheek with a smile, watching as they quickly rose in temperature. He was still so weak for her affection, she adored it. 

“You’re welcome.” Asra cleared his throat, his hand moving to the small of Jenna’s back as he gently guided her along until their feet hit the sand, which granted, wasn’t too far from where they were, though they did have to duck underneath a few trees and fit through a few tight spaces. It was an isolated beach for a reason. 

Jenna walked a little faster, feeling Asra’s fingers slip from her back as she quickly picked up her pace, a child-like grin on her face as she set down her things on the sand, not particularly caring as she tossed her shoes off and pulled off her shirt, delighting in the way Asra audibly choked upon seeing her strip down to her underwear and rush towards the water. “I want to get wet, so come on, Asra! Before I drag you in myself!” Jenna laughed at her own double entendre as she looked over her shoulder, watching as the magician hastily followed her steps, leaving behind Faust to take care of their things, not caring that they could simply dry themselves off with magic after they were finished— it was more fun this way. 

Asra bolted after he stripped himself down as well, an equally playful grin on his handsome features as he snatched Jenna up by her waist, picking the taller girl up with ease and rushing into the cold, crystal clear water, dunking them both in. He felt her squirm in his arms and sputter out a laugh when they resurfaced, turning around in his arms and pressing her chest up against his, wrapping an arm around his neck while the other one pushed up the fluffy white hair that was clung to his forehead and tickled his face.

“You’re gorgeous,” he breathed, entranced by her every movement, hands holding her a little closer to him, feeling her legs wrap securely around his waist as they floated in the illuminated ocean. “Absolutely stunning.” 

Jenna’s own cheeks warmed up at his sweet talk. “If I’m so beautiful, why don’t you prove it?” She challenged, not really meaning what she said, only trying to get the pretty magician to kiss her like his life depended on it.

Asra licked his lips, a twitch that formed into a full smirk as he buried his face in the crook of her neck, nipping at her skin before trailing gentle kisses all the way up to her jaw, before capturing her lips in his own in heated passion, muffling the noise of surprise that she made. 

Jenna’s fingers tangled in his hair, tugging it ever-so-slightly as she kissed him back with the same fervor, shuddering as his hands squeezed her thighs as he continued to kiss her, over and over, barely giving her any room to breathe. “Asra—” Jenna began, breathless, but was cut off by the greedy magician, and every further attempt to speak ended the same way. At least, until she dunked her poor lover underneath the still water, taking the momentary surprise to squirm away from his hold, swimming away with a laugh while she watched Asra’s face return to being completely covered by his soft hair. 

“Oh, you asked for it.” Asra spoke menacingly, though that playful tone was undeniable. 

Jenna grinned and stuck her tongue out at him. “You’ll have to catch me, fair and square! No magic!” 

Asra, who seemed to be already conjuring something up to trap her, paused for a moment before letting his hands drop to his sides, unable to say no. “Alright, but when I catch you, I’ll be kissing you for the rest of the night.” 

“ _ If _ you can catch me!” 

He didn’t wait a second longer to dive into the water, aiming for the love of his life, the moon shining down her blessings on the young couple and the ocean giving them a safe haven for tonight, before the inevitable chaos of dealing with royalty.


End file.
